More Info →'Miranui' Flaxmill locomotive crossing the Tokomaru Stream, near Shannon

The locomotive and tramlines, owned and operated by A & L Seifert’s Flaxmilling Company, were employed hauling trucks of flax from the Makerua swamp to the huge Miranui flaxmill, eatblished 1907. Miranui was the only mill in New Zealand to use a locomotive for hauling flax, but the engine proved too heavy for the swampy ground and was soon replaced by teams of horses.